Sri Lankans and South Africans have fond memories of 2014. In Dubai on March 1 that year the latter’s team beat Pakistan in the men’s under-19 World Cup final. In Dhaka 37 days later the Lankans overcame India in the final of what was then called the men’s World T20. But neither Lankan nor South African fans have had reason to celebrate, in a global sense, since.
The closest the Lankans have come to lifting their next trophy was the 2015 World Cup quarterfinals. The team who put them out of that tournament were South Africa – who lost their subsequent semifinal against New Zealand. India beat the South Africans in the semifinals of the 2014 World T20, and again in last year’s ODI World Cup semifinals. Sri Lanka had also won the 1996 World Cup, but that 2014 under-19 triumph remains South Africa’s sole win.
It’s harsh but fair that, in ICC tournament terms, Sri Lanka and South Africa have spent the past 10 years going nowhere slowly. In that time Australia or England have won five of the six men’s ODI and T20I World Cups played and West Indies the other.
Despite producing some of the most memorable players of the era, neither Sri Lanka nor South Africa have produced memorable teams of the era. Will that change at the 2024 T20 World Cup? The start of an answer to the question will be had after their clash in Nassau County on Monday.
If Saturday’s warm-up match at the same venue, the inaugural game at the temporary 34,000-seater stadium, is anything to go by, batting could be tough. Some deliveries in the warm-up game between India and Bangladesh stayed low, others bounced or seamed. Only one half-century was scored and nine of the 16 bowlers used were able to get away with conceding fewer than eight runs an over. It was all, you might say, so 2014.
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